Kanhaiya Kumar Assaulted By Lawyers At Delhi Court

Lawyers shout slogans against Jawaharlal Nehru University student union president Kanhaiya Kumar outside a court where he was expected to be produced in New Delhi, India, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. Kumar was arrested Friday on charges of sedition over a demonstration days earlier at the university to mark the anniversary of the 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri man convicted of an attack on India's Parliament. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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Complete mayhem broke out at the Patiala House Court in the national capital on Wednesday after a group of lawyers, acting as vigilantes, roughed up Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and journalists covering his sedition hearing, even as police reinforcements and water cannons were rushed to the premises to contain violence.

The Supreme Court extended the police custody of Kumar by 14 more days and sent a six-membered team of lawyers to the court house to assess the situation. The lawyers openly defied a Supreme Court order to the police in the morning to ensure peace in the court.

However, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi told reporters an hour after the incident that Kumar "was only jostled, not attacked". A medical examination of Kumar was ordered. Bassi sought to play down the violence by saying that the situation did not go out of hand. He said Kumar made a statement before leaving the courtroom expressing his confidence in the Constitution.

The Patiala House Court directed the police to take necessary steps to prevent any harm to Kumar in custody. The Supreme Court adjourned Kumar's hearing till March 2.

"We are concerned about the law and order situation," a Supreme Court bench said when senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh informed the court about the fresh violence including the assault on Kumar when he was brought for remand proceedings, reported PTI.

The court also also said it may appoint a local commissioner to take stock of the situation. The court asked Delhi Police Commissioner to take action against those indulging in violence irrespective of their profession.

Journalist Tariq Anwar told Times Now that he saw a supporter of Kumar being beaten up by the lawyers, who were seen in television footage carrying sticks. When Anwar started to film the abuse, his phone was snatched away, the videos deleted and he was also beaten up. Among the many black coats present, Anwar identified Vikram Chauhan, a lawyer who was seen in media footage on Monday beating up a man, surrounded by his colleagues.

No charges have been pressed against Chauhan even as his action was strongly condemned by social media users who posted photos of the assault. The Delhi Police today summoned three lawyers, including Chauhan, in connection with the incident. Bassi said BJP MLA OP Sharma, who beat up a political activist on Monday, has also been summoned.

People who said "Pakistan Zindabad" have been made heroes & we are being called "gundas": Vikram Chauhan pic.twitter.com/lwjcSzuCT2

This morning, the Supreme Court reprimanded a lawyer who shouted "Vande Mataram" in court.

"Remember the oath you took as a lawyer? Should you resort to these kind of things as a lawyer? People have great faith in this institution, please work to protect this institution," Justice Chalmeshwar and Justice Abhay Sapre told lawyer Rajeev Yadav.

The premises turned into a battleground despite a direction from the Supreme Court to the Delhi Police Commissioner to ensure adequate security at the Patiala House court complex. But members of the waiting media complained that the police were largely ineffective in controlling lawyers who went on a rampage.